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Rural Homeowners: Is Natural Gas Service In Your Future?

Companies that provide natural gas service are continually evaluating the location of service lines in their service areas. In some cases, a natural gas service company will make the decision to expand service to additional areas. When natural gas lines are expanded, many propane customers will decide to change from propane service to natural gas service.

Most homeowners in rural areas (beyond natural gas service supply lines) decide between two common choices to heat their home: Electricity (heat pump) or propane gas. The decision may weigh various factors including heating cost vs. the preferred type of heat (many homeowners prefer the feel of gas heating over heat using electricity).

Some new homeowners in rural areas or long-term residents in rural communities are faced with replacing heating equipment that may be old and beyond repair. Rural homeowners facing a heating equipment investment in the near future should make a telephone call to the closest natural gas utility to find out if the utility will be extending local natural gas lines to your property within the near future. If natural gas lines are scheduled to reach your property within the next year or two, for example, this may influence the price and type of mechanical equipment that you purchase to heat your home in the short-term. However, it is important to keep in mind that many rural communities will never have natural gas line access.